This tape knocked me on my ass. The email intrigued me because, according to the band, their hometown of Chiapas, Mexico (yes, the same place as the Zapatista uprising) doesn't really have an established punk scene, so they're fairly isolated. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I pressed play, but it blew me away. It starts out slow, but the intensity builds and finally explodes into a perfectly executed, raging raw punk attack.

Niégalo Todo combines some of the fiercest elements of some of the most aggressive punk and channels it all into a unified, unstoppable assault. There's hints of 80s Brazilian punk like Ratos de Porão and Olho Seco, 90s political powerviolence like Dropdead and Capitalist Casualties (mostly their more hardcore leaning material, but don't worry, the tempo shifts and blasts are all there), and 80s Italian hardcore like Wretched and Negazione. All of these, each of which are absurd in their own right, are mixed together and then put through the lens of contemporary Mexican punk; the delayed, manic vocals, the perfect level of fuzz, the evil atmosphere, and the powerful urgency.

What does it all boil down to? If you like your hardcore punk with no frills, no bullshit, nothing but net, whatever; you are going to fucking love this. This thing is like a freight train, it hits you hard, and it's gone. Don't bother getting off the tracks.

Saturday, 22 August 2015

Going through the submissions inbox is tough because there's a shitload of stuff in there. But, I finally sucked it up and opened a couple of the emails, one of which contained this nasty little number. This tape is caustic, it feels as if its dripping with what I would only assume is toxic waste and scum. If you want real mutant punk (and I don't mean boring 80s punk wannabes with leather gloves), you're going to want to check this out.

The first track opens with disgusting low end feedback and explodes into blown out, stomping filth accompanied by dissonant guitar work, buzzsaw riffs, and vocals that sound like what you'd expect from the sewer dwelling Morlocks. This thing does not let up either. Each second of this less-than-six-minutes tape is overflowing with vile energy and intensity. The way this whole thing comes together really makes it stand out from the overwhelming amount of bands trying to pass themselves off as "freaks" and "mutants" because it actually feels as if it was made by freaks and mutants (unlike most of these bands who heard Gag and Glue and decided to play caveman drums). Oh, and I should mention this is from the UK, and based on the UK stuff I've posted here recently, that should have you clicking download already.

In the submission, they said they have an LP dropping in the next few months, so I'm really looking forward to hearing that. Expect to see it on here when it comes out and listen to this on repeat until it does.

Speaking of freaky deaky punk, another submission was an email from Vacant Life (formerly Wet Brain, reviewed by Brayden earlier this year) asking if we'd heard about their new 7" on Iron Lung Records. Being the nerd I am who checks ILR's bandcamp at least once a week for updates, I did know about it. Unfortunately I can't do a formal post about it on here because it's not a free download, but I highly recommend you guys check it out anyway. Now I just need to hop forward in time a month so I can hear the Condition LP, and that Cadaver Em Transe EP. Also excited for the new Dreamdecay LP and that Behavior LP. I'm gonna stop before I start drooling.

Sunday, 16 August 2015

Where do I even start with this one? I was turned onto this by someone on facebook (who as it turns out was one of the members of Drainland) because this is the project of one of the other members of Disguise (another member of Drainland) and countless other Irish bands. This sounds nothing like either of those bands. Rather than the raw aggression those bands deliver, this is wacked out synthpunk and probably some of the best synthpunk to come out since the 80s.

Yea, I know. There's tons of mediocre Screamers, Devo, and Count Vertigo wannabes around right now. Forget about them (no really, please can we forget about them). Cyborg And Droids is nothing like those bands, in fact, they succeed where all of the wannabes fall flat. Instead of being contrived copycatting, this material actually has that genuine feeling of weirdness and willingness to fuck around; and because of it, this comes off feeling fresh. The vocals are totally fucked as well, coming in the form of snarls and howls, rather than the typical robotic voice you'd expect from synthpunk. On top of that, there are dark punk influences aplenty, which really drive the whole thing home. Some of the riffing and atmospheres are reminiscent of "Death Church" and "Only Theatre Of Pain," but overall it sounds like what I would imagine would happen if you combined Nervous Gender and Mannequin Neurose (*evil sounding, but more weird than gloomy)

This came out of nowhere and totally floored me. Plus, there's a song called "The Ghost In The Shell," so how can you go wrong?

Tracklisting:
1. The Cybernetic Arm
2. The Robogrip
3. The Droids
4. The Cybernetic Brain
5. The Communication
6. The Ghost In The Shell
7. The Cyborg
8. The Signal
9. The Holocaust
10. The Extinction

Tuesday, 11 August 2015

This 12" is a total mess in the best way possible. It's as if somebody took the most revolting, drugged out noise rock, and then put it in a knife fight with the dirtiest, evilest hardcore punk. I had seen some pretty solid live footage of this band, but even that didn't prepare me for how totally grotesque and fantastic this release would be.

No Form are a band from Leeds, UK, an area which is also home to the goth-fueled, hyper-aggro hardcore punk band Perspex Flesh (more for geographical reference than musical comparison). Like many of the other incredible punk bands coming out of the UK right now, No Form are bringing something interesting to the table; however, unlike their peers (except maybe Frau), they are drawing from much more avant-garde influences. The best way I can describe their music is blown out, disgusting hardcore punk, played through a psyched out, noise rock filter. It's absolutely vile and caustic, made even more devastating by the sinister, monstrous vocals. Oh, and there's some Brainbombs-style trumpet work thrown in, just in case everything else here isn't enough for you.

From the first pounding drum hits and screeching guitar work all the way to the final droning wall of feedback, this release should keep you on the edge of your seat. When it's over, if you're like me, you'll be upset that there isn't more. This is an impressive debut and I am really looking forward to hearing more from this band.